By Patricia Taylor

On 5 November 2020, the Scottish Young Lawyers’ Association was delighted to deliver its contribution to the 19th annual Pro Bono Week: a webinar entitled ‘Pro Bono Opportunities for Young Lawyers in Scotland’.
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Our panellists joined SYLA President and Chair of the event, Ayla Iridag, for what was an insightful evening of discussion and reflection; and what turned out to be the most inspiring after-work-webinar that most of us would attend this year (at least!).​

The SYLA welcomed:

• Seonaid Stevenson-McCabe, Lecturer in Law at Glasgow Caledonian University, Solicitor, Activist and Co-founder of Reb Law Scotland;
• Rebecca Samaras, Director of Pro Bono and Clinical Legal Education at the University of Edinburgh;
• Eamon Keane, Founder of the University of Dundee Law Clinic; and
• Lucy Mackay, Student Director of the GCU Law Clinic.

Following the speakers’ introductory remarks, Ayla asked the panel: “Why do we do it?” – it being Pro Bono work. Seonaid, a firm believer in using law as a tool for social justice, remarked that a lawyer’s engagement with Pro Bono is necessary, in order to represent the society in which we operate, and to ensure said society feels empowered to take control.

Lucy echoed this sentiment, noting that “your rights are your own, and you should be able to exercise them”. Eamon observed that Pro Bono services strengthen our ability to address the demographic of those at risk of falling through the cracks. He referenced empirical evidence speaking to the fact that early access to good legal advice can see off disputes before they are able to evolve. Eamon reinforced that unmet legal need is encountered in all walks, and at all stages, of life.
The aforementioned demographic is far-reaching; necessitating the need for our Pro Bono efforts to reach even further.

Rebecca stated that there should be no boundaries to accessing justice. Her comments mirrored that of the other panellists, and her closing remarks were of resounding significance: Why do we do it? “Because it matters. Everybody matters.”

Ayla then sparked discussion as to whether Pro Bono in Scotland has set precedent, to which Seonaid responded that we need only look to the “community-good” derived from this work, particularly in relation to supporting party-litigants through the Court process. Not only is this a service to the Courts, but to the system of wider-community that is reliant upon us.

In answer to “why should lawyers in private practice get involved?”, our panellists noted the following:

• It is a privilege to do what we do (practise law). This privilege can, and should be used, for the common good;
• To elevate one another;
• We need Scotland’s young lawyers to remain curious about the impact they can make – we need their creativity, their innovation;
• Move the “business case” to a moral one – recognise the need that is out there;
• You already have the skill set – put it into action;
• Consider your ethical obligations to others; and, as above
• “Because it matters. Everybody matters”.

​We want to extend another huge thank you to our speakers, and our members who attended the event.  We, as well as our panellists, were delighted to receive enquiries from members seeking to become involved with Pro Bono in Scotland. Please find some helpful links below:

• Scottish University Law Clinic Network (SULCN) – https://www.abdn.ac.uk/law/research/the-scottish-university-law-clinic-network-546.php
• The Aberdeen Law Project – https://abdnlawproject.com/
• Edinburgh Free Legal Advice Centre – https://www.law.ed.ac.uk/about-us/free-legal-advice-centre
• The Law Clinic at GCU – https://www.gcu.ac.uk/lawclinic/
• University of Strathclyde Law Clinic – https://www.lawclinic.org.uk/
• Casus Omissus, The Tayside and Perthshire Law Project – https://tayperlawproject.com/
• The Highlands and Islands Law Project – https://hilawproject.com/
• Free Legal Advice Clinics – http://www.syla.co.uk/free-legal-advice-clinics.html
• Pro Bono Week – http://probonoweek.org.uk/
• The Access to Justice Foundation – https://atjf.org.uk/